Working as part of a multidisciplinary professional team in hospitals and the community, nurses provide care and support for patients of all ages with a variety of acute and long-term health conditions.

It's a challenging but rewarding career. As a nurse, you can make a real difference to people's lives, by providing safe, effective and compassionate care that has a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.

Why UWE Bristol?

BSc(Hons)/BSc Nursing (Adult) is accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which means you can register as a nurse with them when you graduate.

With work-based training built in, and outstanding onsite facilities at Glenside in Bristol, you'll learn the theory of good nursing practice, and study the subjects that underpin it.

Learn from a dynamic, supportive team with a depth of nursing experience across many areas.

Develop strong inter-professional and interpersonal skills and work with patients, their families and other healthcare professionals to support recovery from illness, injury and surgery.

The course has a strong practical focus, incorporating case-based learning, with extensive use of our advanced Simulation Suite.

Engage with service users, practising nurses and other healthcare professionals on placements, in class and online.

You'll spend about half your time on placements in the NHS, and with specialist independent and voluntary sector employers, in a mix of urban, suburban and rural environments.

There's also the chance to develop and apply your skills working abroad.

Where can it take me?

Nurses are in demand right across the UK, and you could work in a wide variety of nursing roles.

Our graduates work in hospitals or in the community, for the NHS, the armed forces, the prison service or private and voluntary sector employers.

Accreditations and partnerships:

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

Year one

You will study:

Communication in a Diverse World

Physiology and Pharmacology for Nursing Practice

Appreciating Evidence for Practice

Understanding Adult Nursing

Participating in the Practice of Adult Nursing.

Year two

You will study:

Service Improvement - a Collaborative Approach

Evidence-Based Practice for Nursing

Caring for Adults with long term health needs

Implementing the Practice of Adult Nursing

Decision making and Assessment skills for Adult Nursing.

Final year

You will study:

Adult Nursing Dissertation

Leadership in Adult Nursing

Managing the Practice of Adult Nursing

Teaching and Learning in Adult Nursing.

Plus, one optional module from:

Cancer Care

Enhancing Clinical Decision making through theory and practice

Principles of Respiratory Care

Collaborative Approaches to Pain Management

Supporting patients with Atopic Disease

Dementia principles of care

Principles of Perioperative Care

End of Life care

Worldwide Nursing

Public Health and Health Promotion

Principles of Cardiac Care

Evidencing Work Based Learning

Independent study.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

Learning and Teaching

We use a mix of lectures, seminars, technology-enhanced learning, simulations, student-led presentations and case studies, to develop your skills and get you ready for practice.

Central to the core subjects of nursing theory and practice, you'll also study biology, psychology, sociology and information technology, all applied to healthcare in a professional setting.

Develop the inter-professional and interpersonal skills that are essential to establishing effective working relationships with service users, carers, their families and other health and social care professionals.

Develop your expertise in healthcare systems, nursing management, and the sociology of health, wellness and illness. Explore the latest research and evidence-based practice.

Get support and guidance from academic staff and during your placements from qualified nursing staff.

You'll take responsibility for your own learning, using distance learning and self directed materials in some modules.

Acquire skills in self-directed and independent study, and research skills you can take with you into your career.

Approximate percentage of time you'll spend in different learning activities*:

Year

Scheduled learning and teaching study

Independent study

Placement study

1

28%

16%

56%

2

26%

17%

57%

3

23%

18%

59%

*Calculated from compulsory and optional modules (where applicable) each year

Study time

You'll study full time between 9:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays.

While you're on placement, you'll take part in shifts over a 24 hour period, including nights and weekends, from the start of Year one. Your placements may take you anywhere across our Primary Placement Areas (PPAs).

Assessment

We'll assess you using a mixture of essays, written assignments, presentations, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), case studies, project work and timed, known topic examinations.

Professional accreditation

Placements

With two or more work placements each year, you'll spend half the course on placement, applying your knowledge and building your professional skills in a range of acute and primary care settings.

We have excellent links with employers throughout the South West, and placements are available in the NHS, social services and the prison service, as well as private and voluntary sector organisations.

You'll get a broad range of practice experiences, helping you make informed career choices and putting you in a strong position for future employment.

Your personal mentor will advise, counsel and give you feedback on your progress during your placement.

Study facilities

You will study at our Glenside Campus in Bristol, and will benefit from outstanding facilities to support your studies. You'll have access to one of the best healthcare libraries in the country with a huge selection of books, journals, audio-visual materials and specialist health and social care software. We have advanced Skills Simulation Suite, where you can practise your professional skills.

Careers / Further study

Nurses are in demand across the UK and graduates enter careers in a wide variety of roles for the NHS, private and voluntary sector employers. 95% of our graduates are in employment or further study after six months.

You could go into specialist positions in hospitals, in healthcare centres as a community nurse, in GP surgeries and schools, as a health visitor, or working with patients in their homes.

There are nursing jobs in the private and voluntary sectors, in specialist teams, supporting people with complex needs, and in the armed services or prison service.

You could also go into teaching or research, or specialise further and do some postgraduate study.

Get inspired

Our award-winning careers service will develop your employment potential through career coaching and find you graduate jobs, placements and global opportunities.

We can also help find local volunteering and community opportunities, provide support for entrepreneurial activity and get you access to employer events.

Visit our employability pages to learn more about careers, employers and what our students are doing six months after graduating.

Typical offers

Tariff points: 120

GCSE: For all applicants, a minimum of five subjects at grade C/4 or above to include English Language and Mathematics, or equivalent. Please note the University does not accept Level 2 Key Skills, Functional Skills or Certificates in Adult Numeracy and Literacy as suitable alternatives to GCSEs.

A-level subjects: Grade C or above in a Science or Social Science subject. Points from A-Level General Studies and AS-Level subjects (not taken on to full A-Level) can be included towards overall tariff. You must have a minimum of two A-Levels.

For further information and advice on acceptable science/social science subjects please email Admissions@uwe.ac.uk

EDEXCEL (BTEC) Diploma: To include six units in a Science or Social Science subject.

Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; to include 30 level 3 credits at merit, of which 15 credits must be in a Science or Social Science subject.

Baccalaureate IB: A minimum grade of 5 in a higher level science or social science subject

Entry requirements

Please note that we do not accept deferred entry applications for this course.

We require evidence of recent assessed academic study within the last three years.

We recognise the individual nature of each application and our typical offer should be viewed as a guide. UWE Bristol welcomes interest from applicants who may not have the standard entry requirements. We will consider evidence of your relevant personal, professional or educational experience where it demonstrates an ability and potential to succeed on the course. Please include details of any relevant experience in your application. However, you still need to meet the GCSE English and Maths requirements, and should have evidence of recent study in a science/health-related subject area recognised as equivalent academic level by the University.

Recruitment for this course is informed by Health Education England's Values Based Recruitment Framework. The purpose of this framework is to ensure that we recruit students whose individual values and behaviours align with the values of the NHS Constitution.

If you are an international applicant and interested in studying at UWE Bristol you can find out more about specific entry requirements on our country pages.

UWE Bristol's International College

If you are an international student and do not meet the academic or English language requirements to study this course, you can qualify by completing preparatory study at our International College.

Offer Types

If you have not received your exam results, your offer from us will be conditional and will be subject to you achieving the tariff points/grades required for your course.

If you have already satisfied the academic entry requirements of your chosen course, you are likely to be made an unconditional offer. Please note that we will only make unconditional offers if you have already achieved your qualifications.

To make sure our applicants are academically prepared for when they start their studies here, we do not make unconditional offers to those that are still studying their Level 3 qualifications (such as A-levels, BTEC, Access or equivalent). We hope that this will encourage our applicants to value their academic achievements as much as we do.

Additional selection criteria

As well as meeting the academic entry requirements, you should meet the following selection criteria:

Completing the application form

We will be looking for applicants committed to Adult Nursing. This must be clearly demonstrated in the 'personal statement' section of the application form by saying why you want to study Adult Nursing and stating any relevant work experience that you have gained to date.

Health assessment/declaration/vaccinations

You must be in good health and up-to-date with your routine immunisations e.g. tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR. If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a questionnaire and must be prepared to undergo a medical examination. You will also be required to confirm your status in respect of a number of infectious diseases and immunisations (tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, varicella, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV antibodies) and be prepared to have all required vaccinations. If your vaccinations are not up-to-date this will affect your ability to continue on your course. If you have any concerns with regards to vaccinations please raise this at the point of application.

Disclosure of criminal background

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply and all convictions, including those which are spent, must be disclosed. This is in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. If you are offered a place, you must undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and will be required to complete a disclosure application form. All information will be treated in confidence and only taken into account when absolutely necessary.

Selection Event

If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to a selection event where you will undertake a group activity and individual interview. On successful completion of all of these criteria, you will be offered a place.

We encourage applications from all those interested in nursing or midwifery. Nursing and Midwifery are both physically and emotionally demanding professions and UWE Bristol positively implements the principles of the Equality Act 2010.

As a student on a nursing course, you will be expected to engage in the full range of clinical duties whilst on placement, which constitutes half of the course. You must be mindful of the requirement in the NMC code of Practice 2015, which states that registered nurses must maintain the level of health needed to carry out our professional role.

Offers of places are subject to occupational health clearance and you will be expected to disclose pre-existing and historical health conditions. If you are on a professional course, you should meet specific requirements related to the need to demonstrate certain knowledge, skills and competencies. These are required by professional, statutory or regulatory bodies and cannot be compromised. In considering Reasonable Adjustments, these will be taken into account when agreeing what adjustments are possible.